Scorched Wings
by love.ly.ish
Summary: In a timeline where Ladybug is Paris' only hero, Adrien remained homeschooled, and Akumas' effects are far more dangerous, 18 year olds Adrien and Marinette must survive in a world set out to destroy them. Aged up AU, dark themes, and eventual reveal fic
1. Prolougue

**_Marinette's POV_**

Marinette raced down the seemingly narrow hallways, gasping for breath as she went. Each of her heavy, thudding footsteps echoed next to her panting, but in the moment, stealth wasn't her mission. She flew around the corner, grabbing the handle of the first door on the right and swinging it open as she dove into the room.

"I'm here! I'm here, don't worry, I'm here," Marinette gasped the moment she set foot into the classroom, her elbows resting on her knees as she caught her breath.

"Ms. Dupain-Cheng, please take your seat," the teacher tapped her foot furiously, her arms crossed in front of her. She was a new teacher, Mrs. Pilson if Marinette was remembering correctly. She'd been brought in for their class' senior year; a change everyone was still getting used to. While she was good at her job, she could also be a bit cold and harsh, especially when students arrived late for class. Needless to say, Marinette wasn't exactly her favorite.

"Of course, Mrs. Pilson-"

"Wilson."

"Wilson!" Marinette corrected herself after the stern teacher interrupted, wiping a line of sweat from her forehead. "Sorry, Mrs. Wilson"

"Very well. Now, Ms. Bourgeois, as you were saying?" Mrs. Wilson turned back to Chloe while Marinette made her way to her seat.

"Well, all I'm saying is that the revolution was, like, totally just like Ladybug now," Chloe smirked around the room, silently challenging anyone to argue with her.

"Very well, Chloe!" Mrs. Wilson said, a smirk to match her students' erupting across her usually cold features. "Drawing connections between your own personal life and history can form a much deeper understanding than looking at the same events in a vacuum. Wouldn't you agree, Ms. Dupain-Cheng?"

All eyes turned back to Marinette, who was in the process of pulling out her history textbook. She looked up from her book bag, red-faced from the sudden attention.

"Ummm," Marinette slowly brought her textbook onto the table, locking eyes with Mrs. Wilson while she stared her down.

"Or, even better yet, do you have anything to add?" The teachers' eyebrows popped up, her cocky smirk remaining on her face.

Marinette felt a tug at her stomach, and a bit of heat went to her face. "What, you mean the most recent attacks against Paris?" she redirected the comment towards Chloe, who's face twisted in confusion for half a second.

"I, uh-" Chloe began.

"Or the virus spreading? I guess I just can't make myself find merit in an idea that has no solid foundation. That would be counterproductive, don't you think, Mrs. Wilson?" Marinette side-eyed the teacher before turning back to Chloe with a small smirk on her face.

"And why, exactly, do you find yourself focusing on the current climate rather than on the lesson?" Mrs. Wilson asked, and Marinette's face went red as she felt her anger boil over.

"Well, considering her BEST FRIEND in the whole freaking WORLD runs the LadyBlog, I don't think she has much of a choice," Alya, Marinette's best friend and table-mate, slung her arm around her easily, cutting in before Marinette could blow up at the teacher.

Mrs. Wilson pursed her lips before turning back to her lesson plan and mumbling, "Very well," under her breath.

"You owe me one, girly," Alya whispered in Marinette's ear, elbowing her lightly in the side and eliciting a small giggle. "What's up with the tardy anyways? It's the third one this year, and it's only week two!"

Marinette sighed, turning her attention back to the teacher before looking back at Alya. "I'll tell ya later? I don't want Mrs. Pilson hating me even more than she already does."

"Uh, I think it's Wil-"

"Yeah," Marinette smirked at her friend before opening her textbook, "I know what I said."

The next two periods came and went without much commotion; Chloe answered every question - typical - and Alya spent the class updating the LadyBlog and pretending to take notes. When class ended, Marinette and Alya packed up their things, walking out into the sunny courtyard with the rest of the senior class.

"Anyways, THEN Ladybug swoops in, punches the monster in the face, and takes the infected away like it's no big deal! Like, totally amazing, don't you think?" Alya rambled, occasionally bumping Marinette with her grand gestures.

"Yeah-"

"But THEN," Alya interrupted her friend, grabbing her arm and leaning in close, "she vanishes."

Marinette's blood ran cold for half a second. That had been Alya's latest focus - Ladybug's vanishing act, as she called it. As the only hero in Paris, Ladybug was always expected to be around, which she was, thanks to Marinette's quick thinking and quirky excuses. But recently, Alya, along with a handful of other independent reporters, had started to speculate where she might go when she's not in the public eye. Of course, nobody knew the super heroine had a civilian life, so Ladybug couldn't tell them the truth. Instead, she had to dodge paparazzi anytime she needed to detransform and recharge her Miraculous; it was exhausting, and the reason she seemed to be constantly running late.

"Oh," was all Marinette could say, pulling slightly away from her best friend.

Alya's eyebrows furrowed at Marinette's apprehension, but before she could say anything, her boyfriend, Nino, swung his arm lazily around her shoulder,

"Hey baby, what's shakin?" Nino asked smoothly, giving Alya a quick peck on the cheek.

"Hmphf, Ladybug," Alya crossed her arms in front of her in frustration.

"Still can't figure out where she goes?" he asked, looking between his girlfriend and Marinette.

"No..." Alya's eyes flickered to Marinette for a brief moment before turning back to Nino. "But I think I might have a lead. I've gotta go, love ya baby!"

A quick peck on her boyfriend's lips, and she was gone. Nino turned to Marinette, sighing and shaking his head lightly. "Well that was..." he chuckled under his breath.

"So Alya?" Marinette finished, bumping shoulders with Nino playfully.

"So Alya!" Nino threw his hands in the air, laughing along with Marinette now. "She can be so...passionate about the LadyBlog, I love it."

"And her?" Marinette teased her friend, raising her eyebrows and watching his face go red.

"Well, duh, Mari," he kicked the dirt nervously. One thing about Nino; he wasn't the best at shows of emotion, so when he finally told Alya he loved her after a few months of dating, it was a big deal. It was Marinette's job as Nino's honorary sister to tease him about it relentlessly.

"Awe, c'mon, you know I'm just messing with you. It's just sweet, that's all..." Marinette trailed off, looking down at her feet.

"Yeah," Nino looked over at her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "How's everything, by the way? I know the breakup was hard on you."

Marinette looked back up at her friend, leaning into his touch before taking a step away. "Yeah, I'm fine. We're...still talking, but I mean, it's Luka. I can't just stop talking to him."

"I know. I just want what's best for you," Nino smiled at her sweetly, and Marinette smiled back.

"I know."

The two stood in the courtyard for another moment before Nino jumped up, as if remembering something.

"Oh! By the way, dd I tell you about my party this weekend? It's gonna be lit!"

"Party...?" Marinette asked slowly, answering Nino's question.

"Yeah! It'll be at my place - just a little get together for the seniors to get pumped for our last year, ya know?"

"Oh! Yeah, you know, I'd love to, but..." Marinette began rambling, shuffling her feet nervously.

"C'mon Mari! You've gotta come! I know how much you like outdrinking the guys," Nino bumped shoulders with Marinette once again.

Marinette let a small smile creep onto her face. "Yeah, I do like how flustered they all get...but I can't. Not this weekend, anyways. Sorry, bud."

"Please? My man Adrien's finally gonna make it to one of these things, and I want to show him a good time, you know?" Nino asked, practically begging Marinette at this point.

"Yeah, ok, that's what you always say," Marinette scoffed. "And he's never there! Besides, I don't really feel like spending time with Chloe's friends."

"It's not like that. I mean, sure, it was, but-"

"Yeah, it was the whole two weeks he went here freshman year," Marinette said bitterly, hugging her arms to her chest. "Didn't even say a word. And that was the worst of it, too."

"I know. It wasn't right, but it was four years ago, Mari! He's different, and so is Chloe. Besides, didn't you hear about how he told her off in the press?"

Marinette smirked at that. She had seen it, as well as the aftermath that successfully knocked Chloe down a peg. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Anyone who can stand up to Chloe like that can't be all that bad."

"Exactly! So, that means you're gonna come? Pretty please?" Nino pleaded jokingly, smiling widely at Marinette.

"Ugh, ok, I'll come. But you awe me one, ok?" Marinette pointed at him before he swooped her up in his arms, hugging her tightly.

"Thank you thank you thank you! You're, like, totally the life of the party, and it'd be a drag without you there!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Marinette pushed him away lightly, smirking at him jokingly. "If it means that much to you, I suppose."

"You won't be sorry. Now, c'mon, help me figure out where my girlfriend went, will you?"

Later that night, Marinette found herself studying on her balcony and watching the sun set over Paris. With a deep sigh, she pushed her textbook and notes aside, fiddling with her earrings and thinking about her second life for a brief moment. With just the thought, a rush of adrenaline coursed through her veins. It was like she was flying, every moment of it. And...it was also like she was falling.

Four years ago, it'd started with the earrings, showing up on her pillow without any indication of where they came from. At the time, she was naive enough to put them on without any question, and thank goodness she did because that's when she found her life's work - Ladybug.

While Marinette was a shy, mousy, intelligent girl with nothing much to say, Ladybug was a strong, powerful hero who didn't need to speak - her actions did that for her. It was exhilarating, and terrifying, all in a single piece of jewelry. Soon enough, the Akuma infected started sprouting up around the city - vulnerable people with dark purple veins radiating from the Akuma's mark. The virus outbreak started out small, affecting about one or two people a month for the first two years. Then, about two years ago, it started getting worse, and Marinette started getting stressed. Suddenly it was two infected a month, then five, then eight, then she was capturing an infected once a day. The cure was simple enough, Ladybug's lucky charm got rid of the Akuma's mark as well as any mind control they were under. But the pressure on Ladybug, and subsequently Marinette, didn't go away quite as easily.

Getting up, Marinette let herself slip into her transformation, becoming Ladybug in the blink of an eye and using her yo-yo to swing around the city. She made a habit of patrolling every night after her homework - it helped to keep her in the semblance of a routine. Usually, she only found one or two Akuma infected, committing petty crimes under Hawkmoth's rule. Tonight, though, felt different. The streets were eerily quiet, and Ladybug couldn't find a single person doing anything wrong. While it should've been a relief, it just weighed the heroine down even further.

Ladybug swung to the top of the Eiffel Tower, using it as a vantage point to do one last check of the city before getting some much needed rest. Upon landing, she immediately felt a jolt of electricity from behind her, turning with her yo-yo ready for attack.

"Who's there?" Ladybug asked, looking around carefully. "Nobody, duh," she told herself, letting herself relax. "You're just stressed..."

"No, I think you might be on to something," a voice came from behind her, causing the heroine to turn around. Standing before her was a boy. She couldn't get a good look, but she could see the flash of bright blonde hair and almost glowing green eyes before he swooped around her again in a flash of black.

"Wha- who are you?" Ladybug asked upon turning around and finding nothing. She should've known right away that it was an Akuma infected, but something tugged at her stomach; this was different. Something about this person felt...familiar.

"I could ask you the same thing, but the press seems to have beat me to it," the voice came from behind Ladybug once more, but this time when she turned, he didn't move. Sitting perched on a metal beam was a lanky boy about Ladybug's age with bright blonde hair and glowing green eyes. He wore a tight black leather suit, and his belt formed a tail behind him that flicked on it's own. Atop his head, a pair of black leather cat ears sat, twisting and turning like an actual cats' would.

"I-"

"Oh, don't worry Bugaboo, I'm just messing with you," the boy stood up, taking a few small steps towards Ladybug. "I'm Chat Noir, at your service."

Ladybug looked at Chat Noir in front of her, hey yo-yo still at the ready. For the life of her, she couldn't see any sign that he was Akuma infected. So what was he?

"You're probably wondering what's going on, right?" he took a few more steps towards Ladybug, causing her to take a few steps back. For whatever reason, her usual confidence and bravado was gone. "Who I am? What I am?"

"I- I- What-"

"Don't worry, Bugaboo, I've got you," Chat Noir lunged swiftly towards Ladybug just as she took another step back, grabbing her around the waist and back to keep her from falling from the tall building; it was almost as if he knew she was going to slip. Ladybug's breath was sucked away in that moment, a jolt of electricity running over her skin from the points Chat Noir was holding her at.

"Woah," her eyes widened in sync with Chat's, both of them thoroughly shocked.

"I, uh-" Chat pulled her back up, taking a few small shuffles back. "What...was that?"

Ladybug straightened up at that, moving quickly to pin Chat Noir down on the metal building, a heavy thud echoing around them. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?" it was her turn to be the smug one.

Chat opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, an unforgettable ringing sound came from his right hand, drawing both of their attention down. Not even half a second later, Ladybug's own earrings rang, the sound exactly the same.

"You..." Ladybug leaned back away from Chat Noir while she watched a smile grow across his face.

"So it's true! You have a Miraculous!" the leather clad boy jumped up, excitement swimming in his eyes.

"I- How do you-" Ladybug stammered, looking between her yo-yo, Chat Noir, and his right hand where the silver and green ring sat.

"Wow! I thought you were just, like, some sort of master acrobat or something! This is AMAZING!" Chat bounded towards her like an excited kitten, causing Ladybug to jump back once again, though this time she was able to catch herself from slipping off the building. "We can work together, you and I. I know it, Bugaboo-"

"Don't- don't call me that-"

"I know it! Wow!" Chat circled around, throwing his hands up in the air. "But, right now, I suppose we should both get going. But I'll see you around, right Bugaboo?"

And before Ladybug could so much as blink, Chat Noir was gone, simply a black streak in the night sky as he bounded away.

"My name...isn't Bugaboo!" she yelled out after him, still in a state of shock.

**Hey all! This is a repost from a different account of mine on here that I deleted the story from because I wanted it on this account instead, so if you've seen this before, that's why!**

**I'm gonna try to update as much as possible, but I am working two jobs and taking online courses, so I can sadly only commit to once a week for the time being. But don't worry! The next chapter is already finished and will probably go up within a day of this one!**

**Please let me know what you think, I love reading every single review and message!**

**Until next time, my dudes,**

**~Ash**


	2. Nino’s Party

**_Adrien's POV_**

Adrien laid in his bed, staring up at the ceiling and letting his mind race. He met her. He met her. Ladybug, the one and only, the hero of Paris, and he met her like it was no big deal. Him! Adrien Agreste! Sure, he had his own Miraculous, and the introduction was long overdue, but nevertheless, he met her. And what spurred his sudden disposition to introduce himself? The answer to that goes all the way back to when he first got his Miraculous, four years ago.

Adrien was only fourteen when he found the ring on his pillow. At first inspection, he was wary of the jewelry, as most of the 'gifts' he got from fans of his modeling could be a little...unsettling. But there was something different about this one. Holding it in his hand just felt...right. Upon sliding it on, he knew exactly why. That was the day he became Chat Noir, Paris' secret hero. One thing about being a model and a famous fashion designer's son is that you learn to value your privacy, and being Chat Noir was a very private affair for Adrien. When he first saw Ladybug doing interviews and being open about her heroism, he found himself drawing away from the hero business in fear that doing good and being in the public eye were one in the same. But soon enough, he found out that Chat Noir didn't have to be a public icon. Chat Noir was whatever Adrien wanted him to be, and that was exhilarating. In a world where he felt he was losing control over his life, Chat Noir was his lifeline. And soon enough, Ladybug became an extension of that.

It'd started one night, about a year prior, when Chat was out doing a quick patrol before going to bed. Ladybug was out as well, which wasn't unlike her, but this time felt a bit different. She was slower, letting the press drag her down while she tried to stop petty crimes. At one point, Chat stopped his own patrol to follow and just...observe. Part of him felt guilty, but there was something off about her that night, and really, all he wanted to do was make sure she was going to be alright. When she was finally able to lose the press, Chat Noir followed her to the Eiffel Tower, just a few stories from the top. Holding onto the side of the building to avoid being seen, he watched Ladybug stand over the city for a few moments before letting her shoulders drop. And then, she did something he wasn't expecting in a million years. She started crying.

There, just a few meters away from him, was Paris' hero, Ladybug; Ladybug, the strongest, bravest person in the world, or so he thought. But in that moment, Chat could feel the humanity oozing from her. She crouched down, hugging her knees to her chest and putting her head between her knees. It took everything Chat had to not run over to her and try to comfort her. That was a bad idea waiting to happen, and he knew that. But still, nonetheless, he was able to take a look past that wall she put up, and that's what made him fall in love with her. As the press continued to hound her, Chat watched her slowly and surely put up more walls and barriers, which was something he could relate to.

Adrien had been in the public eye since he could remember. If being Gabriel Agreste's son wasn't enough, his mother's premature death when he was eight just added fuel to the flames. He became the poster child for tragedy, and Gabriel used that momentum to launch Adrien's modeling career at the ripe young age of nine. The media could be unbearable, and he could see the effects it was having on his personal hero. So when he had been talking with his friend Nino about his girlfriend's Ladyblog, he snapped. Good, regular people were feeding into this, and the secret hero found himself doing what he did best - save the day. Of course, that didn't go quite as planned, and he probably ended up freaking her out more than anything. But it was a start, and that gave Adrien a much needed boost in morale.

Picking up his phone from the nightstand, Adrien scrolled through his messages, finding Nino's most recent text.

_Hey bro, what's the word on my party?! ;) ;) ;)_

Adrien chuckled at his friend's message, quickly typing a response.

_I think I'm actually free, who's going to be there?_

Adrien watched the text bubble load, showing Nino was typing before getting an onslaught of responses.

_DUUUUUDEEEEEEEWWRE THATS ALSJDHF ARGHUIREIOO_

_sorry i ddropped my phone lmao omggggg_

_BUT DUDE IM SO SIKED!1!11!_

_Alya's gunna be there and so is Mari and all my friends from my class!_

_I s2g they dont eve n belive u excist dide!_

_*dude_

_Sorry bro I'm just excited lol!_

Adrien smiled down at his phone, happy with his choice of friend. After everything with Chloe fell through...well, things got messy quick. He shuddered just remembering it all.

_Sounds good! I'm excited to meet your friends, tell them I'm really real LOL._

_When is it again? So I can come up with an excuse for Gabriel._

As Adrien typed the words, he felt himself tense up. Gabriel was going to have questions about where he was going, no doubt, but that wasn't much of an issue. Adrien had gotten really good at lying to his...to Gabriel. Again, he shuddered, pushing the thought aside.

_Tomorrow night my dude, like idek, 9ish? Byob lmao, but if you can't we can find ya smthn ;) ;) ;)_

Adrien took a deep breath, already mentally preparing for the party.

_Sounds good, I'll be there! :)_

The next day went by in a whirlwind, as Adrien's days usually did. First, he had his lessons - math, history, chemistry, economics, French, Chinese, and English, in that order - before taking a break for lunch and moving on to his fencing lessons, a quick session with his personal trainer, and two different modeling shoots. By the time he was finally done with Gabriel's busy schedule for him, it was already seven thirty, and Adrien was getting ready for the party. When Nathalie, Gabriel's assistant, had asked where he was going, he'd lied and told her he was doing some charity work to boost his resume (because just doing charity work for the fun of it wouldn't appease her). Luckily, she bought it, and even let him go out on his own to avoid the press, and Adrien was stoked.

After finally picking out his outfit and sneaking a fancy bottle of vodka from the kitchen, he was ready to head out. In an attempt to not get recognized, he transformed into Chat for a speedy trip before detransforming around the corner from Nino's house. This was his first non-work related party, which meant no models hitting on him, nobody trying to get clout from him, and no expectations. This was going to be the best night of his life, he could feel it in his bones. But he couldn't have imagined how much his life would change that night.

Adrien hardly had to knock before Nino opened the door, an opened beer in each hand. How he managed to open the door, Adrien had no clue, but he was excited to see his friend nonetheless.

"Adrien! Dude! You made it!" Nino tried awkwardly to hug his friend before shrugging it off and motioning for him to come into his home. "So you remember the layout - living room up here, kitchen attached, and the real party's downstairs in the TV room. Alya's here, but Mari hasn't shown up yet, so the party hasn't really started yet...but we're just chilling till it does," Nino explained, gesturing to the different areas of his house while leading him towards the stairs to the lower level. "Oh, also, upstairs is off limits, that's where the bedrooms are, and my parents'll be pissed if they find out I had this party."

"No problem, thanks Nino," Adrien smiled, still holding the unopened bottle of vodka in his hand. "I, uh, brought this for everyone to share, uh..."

"Woah! Nice, thanks man! I'll put this out with the rest, c'mon, lemme introduce ya," Nino handed Adrien one of the beers and reached over to grab the liquor from his other hand.

The two walked down the stairs, and immediately, Adrien's nerves skyrocketed. In the TV room, between twenty and thirty teens sat in a massive circle, some with their arms around one another. Some of the teens had open bottles of beer in their hands, some had red solo cups with liquid sloshing around in them. The table pushed up against the far wall was filled with various bottles of alcohol, soda, and other mixers. Taking a deep breath, Adrien followed Nino into the room, taking a hesitant sip of the cold beer his friend had handed him.

"Yo, my dudes, this is my bro, Adrien Agreste!" Nino announced, stepping aside so that everyone could see him.

A myriad of 'Hey's and 'Hi's came from the students, and a good portion of them waved. Adrien waved awkwardly in response, feeling his face go red instantly. Nino, who Adrien realized was already a little tipsy, walked over to the table of booze, set the bottle of vodka down, and sat down next to a girl with long, curly brown hair, dyed red at the ends.

"Hey babe, miss me much?" Nino leaned in to whisper to her, nuzzling her neck slightly with his nose.

"Wooooah there buddy, keep it PG in front of the guests," she pulled away slightly, eyeing Adrien for a moment before smiling widely at him. "Hey, I'm Alya, Nino's girlfriend. I've heard a lot about you!" the girl - Alya - smiled at him. "Hey, come on over, there's plenty of room!"

"Uh, yeah, alright, thanks," Adrien made his way over, sitting down on the ground next to the massive bean bag chair Nino and Alya were sharing. He looked around at everyone else, who had quickly gone back to chatting and joking with one another.

"Don't worry, everyone here's super chill, and Nino didn't invite Chloe or Laila, so you're all good," Alya leaned down and whispered to Adrien, and he could smell the hint of mint on her breath.

"You're not drinking?" Adrien asked, taking another sip of beer, not wanting to discuss anymore about Chloe or Laila.

"Oh, no, I don't drink or smoke or anything. But it's fun to see people get shit faced, ya know?" she giggled slightly, her eyes darting to her boyfriend, who was currently braiding her hair in small sections while joking around with some of the other students.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. That's usually all I do at work parties," Adrien laughed a little. "It's nice to finally get a chance to let loose though."

"Yeah! For sure! Nino talks about you all the time, I'm glad you finally got a chance to come!"

Adrien smiled, taking a few more sips of his beer and taking a look around the room. He locked eyes with a girl next to him, who smiled kindly.

"Yo, hey Adrien, I'm Juleka, and this is Rose," the black haired girl said, motioning her head over to the girl laying in her arms and laughing at a joke someone made. "It's nice to finally meet you, Nino's always talking about you."

Adrien's heart glowed for a moment, his eyes darting back to Nino before looking back at Juleka. "Thanks! You too! I don't get to hang out with many people my age, so this is nice."

"Oh, yeah I'm sure. Those model parties seem like such a drag. Anytime you wanna really have some fun, come to a Nino and Mari party. They're legendary!"

"Mari - who's that, by the way? I've heard her name a few times," Adrien chuckled lightly.

"Oh, Marinette? She's awesome, totally the life of the party. When she gets here, you'll see," Juleka winked at him before nudging the girl in her lap. "Hey, Rosie, this is Adrien, Nino's buddy."

"Oh, Adrien!" Rose lunged forward and hugged him tightly, taking him aback for a moment. She drew back without a second thought, sinking back into Juleka's lap. "I'm Rose, and this is my girlfriend, Julesie-Leka!"

"Baaaaabe, I told you not to call me that in front of our friends," Juleka said, her pale face lighting up red in embarrassment.

"Sweetie-bear, don't worry about it! I'm so drunk, they won't remember it tomorrow!" Rose said, planting a firm kiss on her cheek.

"That's...not how it works honey...lemme get you some water," Juleka sighed, starting to move Rose off of her lap.

"No, don't worry about it," Adrien said, getting up before they could move too much. "I should grab another drink anyways, see?" Adrien finished off the last sip of his beer, smiling at the couple.

"Awe, thanks man, I owe ya one," Juleka smiled back, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend and rocking the two of them back and forth slowly while Rose laughed lightly.

Adrien got up, walking over to the drink table and pouring himself a captain and coke before grabbing Rose a bottle of water. While he was turned away, the teens all seemed to cheer at once.

"Hey! Mari's here! What's up?" Adrien heard Nino yell before turning around, drink in hand. Standing at the base of the stairs was a girl, a few inches shorter than Nino, who was now next to her. She had dark hair and luminous blue eyes, and her smile lit up the entire room.

"Yeah, sorry I'm a little late, I helped my parents close the bakery and there was this couple who just wouldn't leave, ya know?" she set down a reusable grocery bag, taking her dark pleather jacket off. "Where do you want the drinks?"

"Oh, over by the table is fine, you want a hand?" Nino asked, reaching down haphazardously to grab her bag.

"No, I've got it, you go hang out with Alya and I'll get this party started," she winked at Nino before picking up her bag and making her way over to Adrien. As soon as her attention turned away from Nino, it was on Adrien, and his heart nearly stopped.

Those eyes. They were so strong, determined, and strangely familiar. He found himself frozen in place, drinks still in hand. Slowly, she made her way over to the table, giving Adrien a small smile and a nod.

"So you're the famous Adrien Agreste Nino keeps going on about," she laughed a little, her eyes flickering back to Nino, who had gone back to playing with Alya's hair.

"Um, uh, yeah, I am," Adrien chuckled lightly under his breath, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously. "Um...hi?"

"Hey, don't worry, I don't bite," she said, pulling three big bottles of liquor out of her bag. "Hard," she winked with that final word, setting the bottles down.

"Oh, yeah, ok," Adrien trailed off, face red. There was something about this girl...he hadn't been this caught off guard since he'd met Ladybug.

"Hey, you need a drink," Marinette said, nudging Adrien with her elbow lightly. Taking a cup, she poured out some tequila before drinking it like it was no problem. She poured a bit more into the same cup, holding it out for Adrien to take. He looked down at his own cup, then back to the one she had outstretched.

"I don't know, I've never really done shots..."

"Well, I won't pressure you," Marinette shrugged, bringing the cup to her lips.

Adrien didn't know what came over him in that moment. Maybe it was the beer he'd already downed. Maybe it was the fact that Marinette kept looking at him with those eyes. Whatever it was, it took control of Adrien's body for a moment as he set down his drink, grabbed the cup from Marinette's hands, and downed the shot.

And that was the last he remembered of that night.

**Hey all!**

**Getting blackout drunk is never a good idea, I really mean it. Please, don't drink underage. If you are of age, please drink responsibly. This has been a PSA from mom, thanks.**

**Ok, now that I've got that out of the way, what did you guys think? I know I said this chapter would be out soon but I just couldn't get the ending right, and between my two jobs and, you know, the fact that I want to have somewhat of a life, it took me a while to finish it. Please, comment and let me know what you think!!! It means the WORLD to me!!!**

**Well, my dudes, that's all I have until next time. Look out for an update in the next week, I'll try my best!**

**~Ash**


	3. After the After Party

_**Marinette**_

Marinette let her eyes slowly and groggily open. There was a bit of heat against her left cheek, and it took her a few moments to register where she was. With a jump, she screamed, coming eye to eye with a blonde haired, green eyed boy.

"What- who- wha- ow," Marinette stammered before pressing her hands to her ears. "Oh, what's that ringing..."

"I, oh wow, uh, um, hi?" the boy in front of her smiled awkwardly, sitting halfway up now, holding his head.

Marinette took a moment to take a deep breath, looking at the scene around her. She recognized it as Nino's bedroom, though it wasn't in it's usually clean and organized state. Nino was, surprisingly enough, a clean freak, and kept an immaculate bedroom. Now, his clothes were thrown about the room, and his sheets were under both Marinette and the boy on the ground.

"Oh, shit, Nino's gonna kill me," Marinette groaned, still cradling her head before turning her attention back to the boy before her. "Who are you?"

"You don't remember anything either?" he asked, still, annoyingly, not answering Marinette's question.

"Ok, so I'm Marinette, if that's what you're waiting for. Could you please just introduce yourself, dipshit?"

"Oh. Um, I'm Adrien, Adrien Ag-"

"Adrien Agreste," Marinette sighed, slowly moving to bring her knees to her chest. "Of course I blacked out with Adrien Agreste, of all people..."

"Hey, what's wrong with Adrien Agreste- uh, I mean me, I guess," Adrien muttered, sitting cross-legged across from Marinette and slowly scanning the room.

"Oh, nothing much, except for your taste in people and friends. Your dad's designs are decent, I suppose."

"That's my father. Not my dad," Adrien sighed almost angrily, staring at Marinette intently.

Marinette put her face down into her knees, shuddering and trying not to throw up from the hangover. "Ghugh."

"Yeah, agreed," Adrien said, and Marinette could here him shuffling towards her. "Look, whatever...whoever hurt you, I'm sorry. But my only real friend is Nino. All those other people you see me with? They're Gabriel's associates, or their children. That's all. So, I really just hope you can put that behind you, but if you can't and want to hate me that's fine I guess."

Marinette lifted her eyes slightly, looking right into his green eyes for a moment. Those eyes were strangely familiar. Something had happened last night, and she couldn't quite figure it out. But whatever it was, it made her want to get to know Adrien better. "Ok."

"Ok...so you're gonna hate me still?"

"No, no you're good. We're goo-" before Marinette could finish her sentence, her eyes widened as a horribly familiar feeling snuck up her stomach and into her throat. Slapping a hand over her mouth, she ran to the bathroom attached to Nino's bedroom, hardly making it to the toilet before she started throwing up.

"Are you- oh, oh jeez, here," Adrien followed her in, rushing to her side before even finishing his thought. Through the gagging and gasping, Marinette felt a pair of gentle hands grab the hair around her face, holding it back from her mouth. "It's ok, uh, um, you're alright."

Marinette retched once more before slumping back into Adrien's arms and wiping her mouth with a bit of toilet paper. "Thanks," she sighed, taking a few deep breath. Adrien hummed a response, slowly curling his arms around her, and for a moment, she let herself sink back into his touch. A tingling of warmth spread throughout her body as she felt her breaths sync to her own. But before she could register what exactly was going on, Adrien jumped, pushed Marinette away from him, and started throwing up himself.

"Oh, buddy," Marinette chuckled lightly, rubbing light circles in his back while he finished up. "You ok?"

Adrien wiped his own mouth, nodding and smiling to Marinette. "Yeah, I'm alright. Thanks."

Marinette looked at Adrien for another moment before a flood of tiny memories came back. They'd taken shots in the beginning of the night, danced, and then...there was a gap. But after a long while, they'd ended up dancing some more in Nino's room before...

"Oh, wow," Marinette blushed, looking away and tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Huh?" Adrien asked, grabbing her hand gently before she pulled it away instinctively.

"Uh, you don't remember anything, you said?" Marinette asked, still blushing furiously.

"No...?"

Marinette found herself looking back at those bright green eyes, falling back into the snippet of last night's memory. They were dancing around the room, laughing and throwing Nino's clothes around. Something Marinette couldn't remember had just happened, and the both of them were absolutely, positively alive. Then, Marinette stumbled back into Adrien's arms, and they locked eyes. A shiver of electricity ran between them, and they kissed one another furiously. It hadn't gone too far beyond that, but the intimacy was something Marinette hadn't had since she'd been with Luka. Now, here Adrien was, in front of her, staring at her with those green eyes.

"Oh. Um, alright," Marinette said, avoiding his gaze and gathering herself. He didn't remember. Maybe it was better that way. After all, things with Luka were still...messy, to say the least. They hadn't gone far, Marinette was sure of that, and maybe it was better that they both just forgot about it.

"Why? Do you remember anything? Did something-"

"No, no, I don't remember anything, it's a good! I mean, not a good, but like, good. It's fine. We're fine," Marinette stuttered, biting her lip to shut herself up and silently cursing herself.

"O- ok," Adrien said, flashing an awkward smile before pulling himself up and offering Marinette a hand.

"Thanks," Marinette took it, letting him help her up. The moment she was back on her feet, the nausea set in again, causing her to nearly fall over. Luckily, Adrien caught her before she could face plant. Unluckily, that left the two face to face, their noses nearly brushing. Marinette could feel his soft breath on her face. It made her eyelids flutter.

"You're welcome," Adrien said, smiling sweetly down at her and helping her steady herself.

Suddenly, without warning, Nino's bedroom door flew open, causing both Marinette and Adrien to jump away from one another. Marinette's eyes flew towards the door, and when she saw who was standing in it, her blood began to boil.

"Luka?!" Marinette's voice boomed, and her vision was tinged red.

"Mari, what the hell," Luka looked between Marinette and Adrien before walking towards the two of them. "We need to talk about what happened last night."

Marinette's blood ran cold for half a second. "Last night?"

"You don't remember?" Luka asked, stopping in his tracks. "Are you serious?! You can't just do that anymore! Especially now that you're-"

"Adrien! Is here!" Marinette interrupted, looking at Adrien, then back at Luka, silently urging him to drop it in front of him.

Luka took a deep breath, looking back and forth between Adrien and Marinette while the blonde model boy waved awkwardly.

"Uh, hi, I'm Adrien, I-"

"Yeah, whatever, shut it buddy," Luka waved him off, turning his attention back to Marinette. "Can we talk? Alone?"

Marinette took a deep breath, holding it in for a moment. She took a cautionary look at Adrien before turning back to Luka and nodding. "Sure," she let her breath out, "that's fine."

She started walking towards Luka when Adrien grabbed her wrist, turning her gently towards him. "Hey. So, I know I just met you, well I guess last night too, but, uh...will you be alright?"

Marinette watched as those green eyes flittered between herself and Luka, smiling a small, solemn smile. "Yeah. I'll be alright, Adrien. We'll catch up later, yeah?"

Adrien smiled, relieved. "Yeah. That would be great. See ya, Marinette."

Marinette turned away from him, walking towards Luka and following him out of Nino's bedroom. As the two of them walked out of his house, Nino popped his head up from the large couch in the lounge room, where most of the teens from the night before had fallen asleep.

"Oh! Mari! Heads up, Luka's here!" he said, his bedhead sticking straight up.

"Yeah, thanks for the heads up," Marinette grumbled, following Luka out of the house and stopping in the lawn.

"You were Ladybug last night!" Luka turned around, hands flying into the air.

"Hey! Quiet! Someone could here you," Marinette took a few steps closer to him, checking to make sure nobody else was around.

"Oh, you mean the same way someone could've seen you last night when you were drunk with your kitty buddy?"

Marinette froze up at his statement, her pulse quickening. "I was with Chat Noir last night?" she took a few hurried steps towards him.

"So that's his name. Because yeah, you were, and you need to be more careful! You're lucky only a few underground blogs saw you, otherwise you'd be plastered on the first page by now. And, ugh could you even imagine if the Ladyblog had gotten wind of this!"

"She was here! At the party! And the press is after me anyways, why does it even matter?" Marinette shot back, suddenly feeling inexplicably defensive.

"Because if they see you with some mystery man in a cat suit? You're gonna be the talk of the town like never before. Marinette, that's bad. That's really, really bad."

"I know," Marinette sighed, putting her hand on her forehead. "I know. This is bad. I just don't know what came over me last night..."

Luka took a few steps forward, head hung slightly. "I know. I'm sorry I'm so...intense about this. It's just...I care about you. I know we're not together, but you're still Mari, and you're still Ladybug."

Marinette hugged her arms, shivering in the morning breeze. "I'm sorry. I know this is hard for you. I should've never told you..."

"Hey, I'm glad you did!" Luka rushed forward, grabbing her hands and bringing her attention up to his eyes. "You can't handle this on your own. We both know that."

Marinette found herself sighing into the warmth of his touch, letting her eyes flutter shut for half a moment. They'd dated for a few years, and Marinette had opened up to him about Ladybug on their one year anniversary. At first, everything was amazing. They worked together well, and they were in love. After another year, however, things took a turn for the worse. The Akuma virus got more dangerous, and by extension, so did Marinette's job. Then, the press started to hound her as their own fear skyrocketed, and Luka couldn't quite handle it.

Slowly opening her eyes, she looked at him tearfully, pulling her hands away. "You remember why we broke things off."

Luka's eyes sank a bit as he looked away, hand dropping to his sides. "Yeah. I do. And that's exactly the reason I'm about to say what I'm gonna say, even though it sounds a little strange. It's just..."

"Spit it out, Luka," Marinette chuckled nervously.

"Adrien. You have to be carful with him, alright?"

Marinette's heartbeat started pounding in her ears. "Excuse me?"

"Look, I saw the way you looked at him. And I just...I don't know, I just don't want you to get hurt, ok?"

Marinette looked at Luka, letting her heart rate slow. "I can take care of myself. Besides, I'm not even interested in him. I mean, you know he's friends with-"

"Yeah, I get it. You can come up with a bunch of excuses. But that doesn't change the fact that you looked at him like...well, like..."

Marinette looked at the ground, the unspoken words between them burning her heart. 'Like you used to look at me', the statement lingered in the air.

"Yeah, ok, I'll be careful. He's just a friend right now, anyways. And I'll be better about Ladybug, alright?"

Luka smiled sadly at her. "Ok. Thanks, Mari."

**Hey all! Thanks for being patient with these updates, I've been a little more than busy lately.**

**I'm really excited for where this is going. I'm almost done with the setup of the story, just another chapter and then we're gonna get into one of the main conflicts ;) just wait and see, you guys!**

**Also! Thank you so so much to those who have commented! It means the world to me, really, and it keeps me going when things get hectic, so again, thank you!**

**Well, my dudes, I'll see you next chapter,**

**~Ash**


	4. Set Slowly in Stone

_**Adrien**_

* * *

Chat Noir sat atop the Eiffel Tower, his black leather tail whipping behind him lazily while he watched the sun set. There was something about the fresh night sky that put him at ease - and he could definitely use some of that after the previous night. He couldn't remember much of it - hardly any, at that - but there was something about Marinette that made him feel anxious. His stomach fluttered whenever he thought abut her, and his face got all flushed. Anxious. That was the word for it, wasn't it?

Whatever the feeling was, Adrien didn't quite know how to react. He thought maybe Chat Noir would know what to do, but unfortunately, they were the same person, so that didn't help much. And then there was this Luka guy, coming in and bossing her around. What was that even about? She was a big girl. She could decide what she wanted for herself. If Marinette wanted to be with Adrien, that blue haired asshole should've respected that.

As soon as that thought crossed his mind, the leather-clad hero tensed up, that anxious feeling washing over him once again. All he could think about was her smile, her laugh, those little quips, that cute nose, those lips... She was intoxicating. Maybe anxious wasn't the right word to describe it, but any other words were horrifying for him. Adrien had never...been with anyone. Emotionally, physically, he'd never gotten to that level of intimacy, and it scared him. He hadn't even felt this way before. The only thing he could compare it to was sitting atop the Eiffel Tower, watching the sun set. Somehow, however, the sunset before him didn't hold a candle to Marinette, and that scared him more than anything else.

"Hey there cat burglar, what's the matter?" a voice came from directly behind him. For half a second, he could have sworn it was Marinette's voice, but upon turning around, he found none other than Ladybug herself, perched just a few meters down from the top. Chat put on a plasticky grin, swinging effortlessly down to her level and hanging from a single arm like a chimp.

"What's the matter with _you_? I was just watching for crimes and Akuma infected. You know. The usual," Chat's tone oozed with feigned cheeriness.

Ladybug pursed her lips, obviously not convinced, but relenting nonetheless. "Whatever you say. I can't believe I didn't see you until the other night. Do you always survey from up here?" she asked, swinging her legs between a pole and letting herself lean against it in a sitting position.

"I...well, no, not really. I only really come up here when I need to think, actually..." Chat sighed, letting himself perch comfortably on one of the beams, the entire buiding creaking lazily in response.

"Ah, so the truth comes out. I knew something was up," Ladybug pressed her cheek against the metal beam, her face falling from it's usually confident stare. "I come up here too, to clear my head. It's peaceful, isn't it?"

As if to prove her point, a bird flew by a few dozen meters away, squawking and flapping it's colorful wings. "Yeah. It's gorgeous..." But not as gorgeous as her...

"I know that look. What's her name?" Ladybug asked, sighing lightly and looking out at the sky.

"Oh, uh, it's not that..."

"Oh, sorry. What's his name...?" Ladybug raised an eyebrow, genuinely serious.

"No, that's not what I meant," Chat chuckled lightly, shaking his head to get the strands of golden hair out of his face. "I really shouldn't tell you her name. You know, confidentiality..."

"Yeah. I know what you mean. I could go on and on about this guy if I wanted to, but I probably shouldn't," her eyes drifted into the distance, almost a little teary.

"Oh. So I guess we really are up here for the same reason."

Ladybug sighed, pulling her knee close to her chest while her other leg kept her stable on the beam. "Don't do it. Don't go after her. You'll just end up getting hurt, you know."

Chat stared at the forlorn hero before him. A slight breeze picked up, her black pigtails swinging lightly in the wind. "You've been hurt."

She sighed, shrinking into herself. "It's not important. Just...don't make the same mistakes I did. It's painful to watch the people you love suffer," her eyes flitted back to him before dropping to the far away ground.

"I'm sorry," Chat said, looking sadly at Ladybug who shuddered into herself.

"It's fine. Not your fault, just mine. But I guess that's what we signed up for, right?"

Chat's gaze drifted away from her, half of a memory forming in his head. "We were up here last night, weren't we?"

"So you don't really remember either?" she asked, her gaze returning to Chat. "Yeah, apparentally we were all over the city. I'm just glad there weren't any press around."

"Huh."

"What?" Ladybug asked, her eyebrows scrunching together in an oddly familiar way Chat couldn't quite put his finger on.

"I just didn't expect that to be the way we got to know each other, you know? Like, I wanted us to be some sort of dynamic duo, a crime fighting team. We both have a Miraculous, anyways, and I just thought we'd be these super heroes. Apparentally instead we decided to take a drunken stroll through Paris..." Chat sighed, sinking into a casual position with his arms bent behind his head, turning the metal beams into his own personal hammock.

"You want to be a team?" Ladybug asked, her azure eyes lighting up just slightly. "Like...a _team_ team?"

Chat smirked at her, his leather tail whipping easily below him. "If you'd let me. I've been all by myself for way too long, and it's lonely in the shadows. And who knows, maybe if there were two of us, the press would ease up on you a little," he eyed Ladybug hesitantly, silently waiting for a response.

Ladybug's facial expression went through a series of changes, from excitement to hesitancy to worry, all within a few moments. "I don't know. It's hard. And dangerous. And the press might not react well to you, they're strangely protective of me and it's actually kinda creepy but they might be really hard on you, you know? I just—"

"Ladybug—"

"I don't want you to hate me or resent me because something really shitty happens, I just—"

"Bugaboo!" Chat raises his voice slightly, pushing himself into a seated position. "You're alright. I know the risks, and there's nobody I'd rather take them with. You're a good person - a good hero. We'll work well together, whether the press agrees or not."

Ladybug smiled, her face beaming with excitement. "I— Ok, yeah, alright. That's...I think so too."

Before either of the heroes could say another word, the sky lit up with purple lightning, etching wicked shapes into the dull blue sky. A bloodcurdling scream echoed from just a few blocks away, causing the two Miraculous holders to jump to their feet.

"Here we go, I suppose," Ladybug said, her face setting itself into the hard and determined expression he saw plastered around the press.

"Lead the way, Bugaboo," Chat winked at her.

"Don't call me that, kitty cat," she grumbled, a hint of playfulness in her eyes as she swung towards the screaming. Chat followed closely behind, using his baton to launch him from rooftop to rooftop.

As they approached the Akuma infected, a funnel of dark clouds buzzing with purple lightning spiraled around a man, in his early thirties, with a shaved bald head and newly glowing purple eyes. Chat didn't recognize the person, but he could tell he was in pain, both physical and emotional. Pitch black tears streamed down his face, spreading across his body to form a suit of sorts around his toned figure. The heroes landed a dozen meters away, watching painfully as he screamed, talons beginning to sprout from his sides before elongating into bony legs. Within the matter of a minute, eight bony legs were supporting all of his weight, and the man's head had slumped to the side, his eyes completely blackened. He wore a bone chilling smile.

"Ladybug. A pleasure to see you again," the infected's voice boomed, his mouth somehow staying clenched in a painful looking smile. The legs skittered a few meters towards them, turning the host towards Chat this time. "And you, Chat Noir. I've only ever seen you lurking in the shadows. What a sight to see you in the light."

"Let him go," Chat snarled, steadying his stance with his baton in hand. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ladybug doing the same with her yo-yo. "Your fight is with us, not innocent bystanders.

"But you don't seem to understand, my kitten," the deep voice boomed from within the host, his head straightening with a painful snap. "This entire city must pay for your Miraculous. Until I have them both, they will suffer. And the more they suffer, the stronger I grow within the minds of the weak." The amalgamate skittered towards them once more, now turning it's attention towards Ladybug. "You know that better than anyone, my resistant little bug."

Ladybug's grip tightened on her weapon, and Chat could see she was shaking slightly. "Get out of their heads!" She swung her yo-yo at the host, attempting to catch it by it's legs. The amalgamate, however, was too fast, skittering sideways to avoid the strike.

"Don't you mean your head, my dear? I know your pain. I can feel it. All you have to do is let me in, and all of this will be over. You can be my pet, darling, and your worries will be over," the host tapped it's bony, spiked black legs restlessly.

"I'll never give in to you, HawkMoth," Ladybug snarled, the name sending chills over Chat's skin. "We'll find you and defeat you. Together."

A roaring laughter erupted from the poor man, causing Ladybug's eyebrows to furrow in determination. With lightning speed, the host lunged at Ladybug, it's legs clawing at her sides in an attempt to grab her. Ladybug jumped out of the way, landing in a position low to the ground with her yo-yo still at the ready. While the almagomate was still focused on her, Chat lunged at it, sweeping it's legs from under it in a quick motion and watching it fall to the ground for a moment.

"Now!" Chat called to Ladybug, hopefully referring to her Lucky Charm, which he'd seen her use on a few occasions. With a nod, she seemed to understand, calling out the incantation and watching a bundle of rope fall into her arms.

"I— Rope? What am I supposed to do with rope?" she called out, looking at Chat with worry in her eyes.

"Go, figure it out! I'll keep it distracted!"

Ladybug nodded, swinging away from the battle and leaving Chat alone with the host. As it made it's way precariously up to it's spiked talons, the host's body spun around towards him, the toothy grin intensifying.

"You are but a child. You cannot stop me!" it roared, charging towards him with a horrifying series of clacking and clattering sounds. Chat dropped to the ground, slipping under the charging amalgamate in a moment of instinct before twisting around to the creature. It skittered around, turning back to Chat with a look of fierce determination.

"I will end you!" it yelled, charging once again. This time, Chat used his baton to strike it's too front legs, a painful snapping sound erupting from the bony talons. With a roar of defiance, the host reared up at Chat, it's back six legs now supporting it's entire weight as the lower halves of the two front legs disentigrated to dust on the road. Before it struck Chat down with it's stumps of front legs, it froze, as if hesitating.

"What's the matter, HawkMoth," Chat jeered, spinning his baton, "Cat got your tongue?"

"I cannot hurt you. Puny human emotions are at play within my master. But I can hurt her," the host's voice boomed, it's attention shifting towards Ladybug, who was sprinting around and weaving the rope through trash cans, fire hydrants, and light posts. In a moment of sheer determination, it charged at her, unaware of the rope zig-zagging into the street. It's bony legs got caught, causing it to fall forward onto Ladybug, who clearly wasn't prepared, as she fell under it's weight.

"Ladybug!" Chat yelled, activating his Cataclysm and running towards the amalgamate.

With a deafening battle cry, the leather clad hero swiped his clawed hand across the remaining six legs, watching them disentigrate into a fine grey dust and blow away into the wind. The host was left on the ground, writhing in an attempt to get to it's feet. Before it got the chance, Ladybug leapt forward, placing one hand on his forehead, and the other on his chest.

"Get! Out of him!" she yelled, her teeth grinding with effort to keep him down. With a flash of bright white light, the amalgamate screeched, purple light erupting from it's eyes and mouth and shooting up towards the dark grey clouds overhead. And just a few moments later, the host was free of the Akuma virus, slumped down on the ground with heavy eyelids fluttering shut. "Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug yelled, grabbing a piece of fallen rope and throwing it into the air. As soon as the rope touched the dense grey clouds, thunder shook the entire city, and the sky broke into a light pink rain.

In a moment of familiar triumph, Chat looked up at the sky, letting the pink rain fall over him. Ladybug's fix swept over the city, allowing the grey clouds to dissapear and leaving the dull blue sky behind in it's wake, newly devoid of the gorgeous sunset.

"You're alright, sir," Ladybug said, helping the man to his feet. As soon as the pink rain touched his skin, he was alright and able to get back on his feet.

"Th- thank you Ladybug!" he smiled brightly at her, not sparing so much as a glance in Chat's direction.

"Of course. Please, get inside, and stay warm. You're alright now," she smiled at him, watching as he ran quickly into his home, drenched by the magical rain at this point.

"Ladybug! We did it!" Chat ran over to her just a moment before she collapsed, and he was lucky enough to have caught her before she hit the ground. "Ladybug? Ladybug, what's going on? Oh my...your arm..."

Looking down at her left arm, he saw a large gash etched into her suit and skin, blood oozing from the wound. As she slowly opened her eyes, she smiled at him, making her way to her feet once more.

"The Miraculous fixes the damage to everyone else. Just...not me. But it's alright, I've dealt with way worse," she looked back at her arm.

"B- but," Chat looked cautiously at her arm before she slapped her right hand over it, obstructing his view, "it looks like it needs stitches..."

"It's fine, kitty cat. I've got the supplies back at my place. But we should get going before our transformations wear off," she smiled shakily at him. Right on queue, both of their Miraculous' beeped; a reminder that they didn't have much time left.

"I...alright. But we need to talk about this. About everything, ok?"

"Ok, I know. Meet me at the Eiffel Tower tomorrow night, sunset," she said.

"Ok, I will," Chat said, but halfway through his sentence, Ladybug swung off into the distance, leaving the scene as if she was never even there.

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay - I don't even have writer's block or anything, I've just been so busy with work I haven't had time to write down all these awesome ideas! But don't worry, I've got a whole 2 days off this week, so I'll be updating again this week, and then within a week after that.**

**So what do you guys think? I was going to go in a different direction, but it would've maybe been a bit much right away, so I opted for something a little more transitional. Hopefully it wasn't too much of a filler chapter, but I needed to establish a few more things before moving forward to the big plot points. But stay tuned! I've got a MAJOR plot point coming in the next 2 chapters, and I'm so super excited to write it :)**

**Also, please please please let me know what you think! I love reviews, even the criticisms, because it's a reminder that you guys are out there. Thank you so much for all of the support, favorites, and followers! It means the world to me 3**

**Until next time, my dudes,**

**~Ash**


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